


Of Hearts and Hooves, Cookies and Confessions

by drsquee



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Humor, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27026446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drsquee/pseuds/drsquee
Summary: Its Hearts and Hooves day in Ponyville and Fluttershy is on her first date!At least that's what Discord believes.With the help of Spike and Big Mac, Discord is determined to make sure his bestie has "the perfect first date"....if he can keep a lid on his own feelings of course.
Relationships: Discord & Fluttershy (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Discord/Fluttershy (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78





	Of Hearts and Hooves, Cookies and Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> My first Fluttercord fic! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it ^_^

Discord was good at spying.

Being the Lord of Chaos made him very good at a lot of things and spying especially was one of them. He’d got it down to an art form (if he did say so himself) and it was one ability he particularly liked indulging in.

Except for today.

Because today, Discord was spying on the one pony he promised himself he would never spy on.

And it was all Spike's fault.

* * *

The day started out much like any other.

After a hearty breakfast, Discord had played a rousing game of flamingo-pineapple-polo before deciding to pop in and see his favourite pony.

Literally.

Snapping his claws, Discord reappeared in Fluttershy's kitchen just behind the young pink-haired mare, who was busy feeding her extensive collection of animals. Hovering just behind her, Discord smiled affectionately and watched as she went about her business, completely oblivious to his presence as she hummed to herself happily, a small spring in her step. It seemed she was in a good mood.

A timer dinged, Fluttershy grabbing an oven mitt with her mouth and carefully manoeuvring a tray of freshly baked cookies from the oven, turning it off as she did so. She put the cookies on a rack to cool and went to put the spoiled tray in the sink for washing as he floated over, taking a huge sniff of the delicious cookies. “Goodness but they do smell wonderful" he mused aloud, Fluttershy jumping slightly as he announced his presence, turning to smile at him as he leaned against the counter. “I don’t suppose I could....” he said, waggling a claw suggestively over the cooling delicacies.

Fluttershy shook her head. “I'm sorry Discord, those are for something else". She giggled as he pouted in displeasure, moving over to the tea trolley she used for their tea parties, already adorned with tea set and several plates. “But you can have plenty of these ones” she said, pulling the cover off one of the plates to reveal a plate full of misshapen cookies. “I made them just for you".

Discord grinned widely and floated over to look while Fluttershy boxed up the other cookies, her animal friends helping where they could. “Just for me!? Shy-boots, you really are the best!”. He clapped his claws excitedly, trying to decide which to sample first. He spied several green ones and picked one up, looking over it curiously. “Green?”

“Those are a surprise” she replied teasingly. “I bet you can’t guess what’s in them".

“Well why don’t I amaze you with my excellent deducing skills over some delicious tea?”. He snapped his claws, instantly dressed up in a detective outfit, complete with bubble pipe. Holding up the green cookie, he inspected it with a magnifying glass. “Curiouser and curiouser" he murmured, blowing bubbles in the shape of butterflies from his pipe, Fluttershy giggling as they began to flutter around her kitchen before popping here and there.

“I would love to Discord, but I cant right now; I have an important meeting to get to" Fluttershy said, putting the now wrapped cookies into her saddle-bags, along with her purse. “I’m so excited, I hope it goes well. Would it be ok if we had tea after I’m finished? Then I can tell you all about it”.

Poofing back to his normal self, Discord sighed in annoyance. “I SUPPOSE I can wait a little while, if it’s SO important” he said, folding his arms as he watched her finish packing. “Or maybe I could come with you...you never know when a little chaos might come in handy" he suggested, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth to cover up her amusement, then patted his claw reassuringly. “I’m sorry Discord; we’ll talk later, I promise". Turning, she pulled on her saddle-bags then headed towards the door, Discord floating beside her, trying not to convey his unhappiness.

“Alright alright, I understand” he sighed, stroking his goatee in thought. “I suppose I could visit Spike and Big Mac...we haven’t had a rousing game of O and O in a while...”

“Sounds good to me. Meet back here at 4 o'clock? I should be done by then" Fluttershy asked, Discord nodding in agreement. “4 o'clock. Ta-ta for now then" he said, pulling out a hankie and waving it in farewell as she began to trot away, pausing just as she reached the end of the path.

“Oh, and Discord?”

“Yes?”

“Happy Hearts and Hooves day!!”

* * *

Spike and Big Mac were hanging out in Mrs Cake's kitchen when Discord popped in next to them, scaring the daylights out of them both and making Spike fall into a bowl of unattended cake batter, much to Discord's amusement.

He watched with a grin as Spike heaved himself out of the bowl and tried to clean himself off, muttering all the while. “I hate it when you do that. Cant you just use the door, like normal ponies do?”

“Oh please Spike, when has normal ever been any fun?” he remarked, gathering up all the batter on Spike's head and moulding it into a bouffant, complete with a cherry on the top. Big Mac snickered behind a hoof while Spike glared at him, scooping the batter back into the bowl then grimacing. “Ahhh maybe Pinkie Pie will eat that one" he murmured, covering the bowl with a cloth and putting it well away from the others. “What brings you here anyway Discord?”.

“Oh I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I’d drop in on my buddies for a exhilarating game of Ogres and Oubliettes” he said jovially, pulling them both into a hug while simultaneously popping them all into their character costumes, Spike's wizard staff almost knocking ingredients onto the floor. “It has been a while after all”.

Spike wiggled out of Discord's grasp and onto the floor, looking up at Discord curiously. “Don’t you usually have tea with Fluttershy today? How come you aren’t with her?”. He then looked at Discord’s claw, tilting his head to the side in wonder. “And what’s with the green cookie?”.

Discord blinked and let go of Big Mac, zapping them out of their costumes as he held up his paw, completely unaware that he’d been holding the green cookie all this time. “Ahhh...Fluttershy made it for me. She says it has a surprise in it, that’s why it’s green”. He scratched his head, as he held it up. “Haven’t the foggiest what it could be though. Anyway, she's busy...has something important to do - a meeting I think - so we’re putting it off till later" Discord said airily, as if the very notion of there being anything more important than their tea parties bored him.

Spike rubbed his chin in thought. “Really? An important meeting? On Hearts and Hooves day?”.

Discord snorted. “Ah yes, she did mention this accursed day was upon us once again. Honestly, you ponies need to get better holidays to celebrate" he sneered, absentmindedly putting the green cookie under his horns for safe keeping.

“Do you....do you think it could be a date?” Spike asked, looking toward Big Mac for confirmation, Discord freezing on the spot, staring at them both.

Big Mac rubbed his mane in thought. “Maybe...although to my knowledge, Fluttershy’s never had no special some-pony before, and no pony has ever asked her to be their special some-pony either” he mused, his ears flicking up when the over timer dinged. Grabbing an oven mitt, Big Mac carefully extracted a piping hot chocolate cake and set it down with extreme care, putting a new batch of cookies into the oven in its place.

Discord looked at them both in disbelief. “No one? Ever?”.

Spike folded his arms. “Well not in all the time Twilight and I’ve lived here and Big Mac’s always lived here so it must be true”. He rubbed his chin in thought. “I mean she isn’t exactly popular is she? Not like Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash...or Rarity for that matter...Apple Jack has a huge family and knows everyone in the town too....even Twilight-".

“Yes yes we know, the ‘Princess of Friendship' is beloved by all" Discord snapped sarcastically, Spike glaring at his interruption. “Are you really telling me that Fluttershy has...never had a special some-pony?” he asked, wringing his claws together. The thought of her being alone and lonely made his stomach feel empty. “That can’t be right...Fluttershy’s the best!”.

“Maybe to you, but other ponies don’t see that Discord" Spike reasoned. “She can be super shy, even around her long time friends like us, and that makes it hard for any creature to get to know her properly". He narrowed his eyes at Discord. “What EXACTLY did she say to you?”

“She said that she had an important meeting to get to and was really excited about it, but she couldn’t tell me about it because she wanted to make sure it went well before she said anything. She also made regular cookies to take along with her” Discord rattled off, counting on his claws each point as he spoke. He then narrowed his eyes back at Spike. “And I don’t appreciate the insinuation that I don’t listen”.

“You never listen to a word we say!” Spike retorted hotly, Discord rolling his eyes at the tiny dragon. “Maybe that’s because it’s you and you rarely have anything important to say” Discord smirked, pretending to check his claws as Spike hmphed at him in annoyance. “Whatever. It definitely sounds like a date to me. An important meeting, really excited to go, baked some cookies just for the occasion, hoping it’s going to go well" Spike fluttered up to sit on the counter top next to Big Mac’s cake, excitement lacing his voice. “I wonder who it could be?”.

Discord turned his back to them, chewing his bottom lip in thought as he digested what Spike and Big Mac had said. Had Fluttershy really never had a special some-pony before? Was that really what she was doing today? Then why wouldn’t she just tell him?

It’s not like Discord would CARE that she could be meeting her heart and hoof mate this very minute. Or that this could result in them spending LESS time together or heck, not even having tea together AT ALL anymore. Or that this potential special pony could very well break her heart and leave her miserable and alone and- 

"Ahhh Discord? You ok there buddy?”. Discord looked up to see Spike and Big Mac watching him worriedly, several cupcakes running around agitatedly on the worktops, squawking like chickens. “Oh. Excuse me". Snapping his claws, he put the cupcakes back to normal and smoothed his horns and mane back. “I’m perfectly fine".

Spike and Big Mac shared a look. “Sure about that?” Spike said cynically.

“Perfectly. Fine" Discord growled, folding his arms, daring them to disagree.

Spike and Big Mac looked at each other then shrugged before turning back to the cake, Sugar Belle entering the kitchen from the shop front. “Big Mac? Is that cake ready to be frosted yet?”. She blinked, spying Discord and smiled. “Oh! Hi Discord!” she said in greeting, Discord nodding his head toward her. “I’m surprised to see you here, I thought you were the one Fluttershy was waiting for".

“Wait what?!” Discord yelped, Spike and Big Mac turning to Sugar Belle, who blinked back at them all in surprise. “Ah yeah, she’s ...she’s just outside” she said nervously, jumping in surprise when Discord flitted past her quickly, Spike jumping off the counter and trotting after him. Big Mac sighed and followed, kissing Sugar Belle on the cheek as he did so, Sugar Belle giggling in delight before moving to the cake to decorate it.

Discord curled up as much of his body as he could before peeking over the door of the shop, ignoring the customers who stared at him funnily and moved away. Glancing this way and that, his eyes landed on Fluttershy sat at a table outside the cafe across the street. She looked around, tapping her hoof as she did so, a small serene smile on her face and something in Discord’s stomach wriggled. Must’ve been the gummy worms he had for breakfast. Maybe next time he would leave off the mustard.

Spike fluttered up beside him, clinging to the door and peering over it also. “There she is! Doesn’t look like she’s with anyone though".

“Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious Spike, I don’t know what we’d do without you" Discord griped, his claws digging into the wooden door as Spike glared at him. “Geez, if you were gonna get so grumpy about her being on a date, you should’ve just asked her yourself" Spike shot back, Big Mac nodding in agreement behind them.

Discord spluttered indignantly, baring his teeth as his eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?! Who do you think you’re-" His rant was cut off mid-way by Spike slapping a claw over his mouth. “Wait! Who’s that!?”

The trio looked over to see a tall, grass-green stallion walk nonchalantly over to Fluttershy, who smiled widely upon seeing him, waving at him enthusiastically. His mane was in red and orange dreadlocks, piled up into a messy bun on top of his head, his dreadlocked tail trailing on the ground behind him. His stubbled muzzle turned up into a lazy grin as Fluttershy greeted him, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

The strange feeling inside Discord somehow managed to simultaneously rise up into his chest and sink low in his belly. He grit his teeth, his grip tightening on the door so much so that it began to splinter. Spike glanced at the door then at Discord worriedly, turning his gaze back to Fluttershy. “Aah Discord? Maybe you should calm down...come back inside and we’ll play O and O, just like you said, right?” he suggested, turning to look at Big Mac who nodded in agreement.

Discord watched as Fluttershy and the stallion spoke for a moment then began to walk away. He squinted after them. “You’re right Spike, we SHOULD follow them".

“Wait, WHAT!?” Spike yelped, jumping down from the door to stare at Discord incredulously.

Discord stood up, keeping Fluttershy in his peripheral vision while he turned to look at Spike. “You said it yourself, this is Fluttershy’s first Hearts and Hooves with a um...special some-pony...as her best friend, and two of her closest - but not best friends of course - shouldn’t we make sure that she has the best day possible?”. He folded his arms, looking at them sceptically. “Don’t you want her to be happy?”.

Spike and Big Mac shared a look. “Well...of course we want her to be happy Discord but-”.

"That settles it then! Besides, you two owe me, if I’m not mistaken" Discord said haughtily, Spike sputtering indignantly.

“WHAT?! OWE YOU?!” Spike yelled, wings fluttering madly as he readied himself to tear Discord a new one when Discord held up a paw, snapping his claws. A baked pie landing in his outstretched paw. “Look familiar?”.

Spike and Big Mac peered curiously at the pie, before Big Mac's eyes widened. “Is that?...”

Discord nodded. “The very same pie intended for your beloved Sugar Belle, complete with sap-filled greeting card filling". He popped into a clown outfit and waved a magic wand over it, a jam-encrusted card appearing above it. “I did as you begged, and ensured it was baked in time for you to send it to her. Despite it not reaching her, this paved the way for your nuptials, which I was also roped into helping with...in short-". Making the pie disappear, he poked Big Mac and Spike in the nose with the wand. “You two OWE me".

Spike and Big Mac looked at each other than Spike sighed in defeat. “He’s got a point".

“BOYS!!”

The trio turned to see Mrs Cake stood looking at them quite frazzled, a gaggle of impatient shoppers behind her. “I’m not sure what you’re up to but can you please at least let my customers in or out the store?”.

Discord popped out of his clown costume as Big Mac smiled sheepishly, Spike rubbing his scales. “Ahh sorry Mrs Cake!”

“Don’t worry, we’re just leaving" Discord replied, turning to look out the door at Fluttershy, jumping when he realised she was no longer in sight. “They’re gone! Where did they go!?”.

Grabbing Big Mac and Spike by the scruff of their necks, Discord teleported them away, Mrs Cake shaking her head in exasperation before turning back to her customers with a wide sugary smile. “Now then! More heart-shaped cookies anypony?”.

* * *

Discord loved snap-travelling. 

It hadn’t taken as long as portal jumping to master and was the most efficient way to travel. However, just like everything else, it had its drawbacks.

For instance, if you weren’t concentrating properly and were in a rush, you might end up teleporting right on top of the creature you were travelling to.

Which in this case, almost happened.

With only the thought of Fluttershy and no other direction in his mind, Discord snap-travelled the three of them to her. Right behind her and her companion.

Discord flailed in panic, almost falling on top of them both and weaved wildly, pulling Big Mac and Spike with him as he half-fell, half-dived into the nearest bush.

Hearing the noise, Fluttershy looked around, searching for the sound. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and turned back to the green stallion who accompanied her.

Spike groaned in pain and annoyance from where he laid squashed under both Discord and Big Mac. “Nngh! Guys!!”

Discord hovered up and off them both, Big Mac pushing himself up before helping Spike up. Spike stretched out his wings, dusting himself off and muttering under his breath as Discord moved some of the branches aside, peering through so that he could clearly see Fluttershy without being seen himself.

Big Mac and Spike popped up beside him, all three watching as the two walked through the market stalls together, Fluttershy pointing at one or the other and talking animatedly. The funny feeling in Discords stomach wriggled inside as he watched. He’d never seen Fluttershy so talkative with another pony before. He hiccupped, a nearby basket of carrots turning into flapping umbrellas, much to the chagrin of the stall owner.

“Well this feels familiar" Spike muttered, leaning over to Discord. “Are you sure this is a good idea Discord?”.

Discord snorted. “Whenever have I had a BAD idea Spike?”

Big Mac and Spike frowned simultaneously, staring at him silently, Discord rolling his eyes. “Alright alright, I have had a few...questionable ideas" he conceded, flapping at claw at the pair. “But this will be perfect! Fluttershy and her....nnh ‘date’...will have the perfect day and Fluttershy will be happy. Fluttershy being happy makes me happy and her special someone will be happy and I will be happy that they are happy together and the three of us will have tea parties together and then I will go home alone like I always do and everyone will be happy!” he rambled, sounding more and more erratic as he spoke, Spike and Big Mac looking at each other in concern. “Ahh, Discord-“

“I'M FINE!” he yelped loudly, startling the stall owner who was still trying to battle the flapping umbrellas. Slapping a claw over his mouth, Discord sunk down into the bushes, glancing at Spike and Big Mac before clearing his throat and sitting back up. “I’m fine".

Spike opened his mouth to speak up but stopped when he saw Big Mac shake his head slightly, sighing before turning his attention back to Fluttershy and the stallion. They had stopped at the flower stall and were perusing the arrangements, the stallion putting a hoof to his mouth as if in deep thought while Fluttershy spoke to the stall owner, Roseluck.

Discord watched the stallion with a keen eye, snorting in annoyance at each bunch of flowers that the pony leaned towards. “No, not that one! Ugh, much too brash! Oh come now, how could any pony believe those are good enough for Fluttershy!?”.

The stallion hesitated then smiled, picking up a small bunch of wrapped daisies, Discord slapping a claw against his face and pulling it down in exasperation. “Oh for Celestia's sake! Daisies!? That just won’t do!” he griped, snapping his claws sharply. The daisies abruptly changed into bright daffodils, the stallion flinching in surprise, staring at the bundle of flowers in bewilderment.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Daffodils? Seriously? Why not roses? Everyone knows they’re romantic".

“As her best friend, of course I would know that Daffodils are Fluttershy’s favourite flower” Discord said. “This is supposed to be her perfect day and the perfect thing to do would be to give her a bunch of her favourite flowers!”. He watched as the stallion attempted to put the bunch down and made them hop back into his hoof, the stallion starting to look more freaked out.

“Honestly, it sounds like you should be on this date instead of that guy" Spike murmured, Discord glaring at him before zipping his mouth shut. Spike flailed and panicked for a moment before Big Mac stopped him, calmly unzipping his mouth for him. “Nngh, thanks Big Mac".

Discord watched as the stallion tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder, Fluttershy halting in her conversation to turn to him, blinking in surprise when he held out the flowers to her with a confused look on his face.

Fluttershy stared at the flowers for a moment before her whole demeanor changed; her eyes softened, her smile became shy yet radiant, warmth oozing from every part of her. Her cheeks turned almost the same shade as her hair as she took them from him, closing her eyes as she brought them to her nose. Her shoulders lifted as she inhaled their scent then her whole body relaxed as she breathed out, moving them back to gaze at them in wonder. Her smile turned from shyness to joy and she put her hoof to her mouth as she giggled, the stallion watching her curiously.

Discord hiccupped and a frog jumped out of his mouth, croaking as it landed on the floor. It licked it’s own eyeball before croaking again then hopped away, Spike and Big Mac watching it leave.

Fluttershy gave Roseluck some bits and put the bunch of daffodils carefully in her saddle-bags, picking up another wrapped bunch of daisies and handing it to her companion, who smiled back at her. The two then picked up their bags and said goodbye to Roseluck, quietly talking to each other as they walked away.

“That was weird" Spike mused aloud. “Why'd she accept the daffodils then get a new bunch of daisies?”. He turned to Discord and yelped in surprise. Discord had pulled the bush up to his chin like it was a blanket, scrunching it up in his claws as he stared after Fluttershy and the stallion, his expression a mixture of disbelief and annoyance tinged with hurt.

Spike fluttered up to speak when Big Mac moved first, walking up to Discord and putting a hoof on his arm. Discord blinked and looked down at them both, dropping the bush in surprise. Clearing his throat, he folded his arms and smirked. “See? I knew it would work! Now come on, we cant lose them!”. Snapping his claws, he turned into a unicorn with a whirlwind cutie-mark, leaving their hiding spot and trotting after the two, trying to remain inconspicuous by hiding behind other ponies and market stalls.

Spike and Big Mac looked at each other then began to follow after him, Spike sighing in exasperation. “This can’t possibly end well".

* * *

* * *

The rest of the afternoon progressed in similar fashion.

Wherever Fluttershy and her companion stopped, Discord, Spike and Big Mac were not far behind. At every turn, Discord would scoff and change the unknown stallions choices from afar, citing the reason as that they just “weren’t perfect enough for Fluttershy!”.

Eventually Fluttershy and the stallion left the town and headed towards her cottage, the trio trying to follow as discreetly as possible.

Spike peered out from behind a tree, watching Fluttershy as she laughed at something the stallion said, glancing at Discord warily. As the day had gone on, Discord's mood had soured more and more to the point where his scowl seemed permanent, his chaos powers becoming more erratic. It was a miracle Fluttershy and her friend hadn’t already seen them, what with the mess they’d made of the town as they’d passed through it.

As soon as Fluttershy and her companion disappeared inside her cottage, Discord came stomping out from behind their hiding place and began to pace back and forth, a trail of smoke rising from the ground in his wake as he muttered angrily to himself. “This is ridiculous! This whole day has been a shambles! SHAMBLES! He’s not even trying! It’s like he doesn’t even CARE about her!”. He threw up his arms in disbelief, Spike fluttering near his head, warily watching the cottage for a sign that they’d been spotted.

“Discord calm down! They’re gonna know we're here!”. He flapped his claws in agitation as Big Mac looked back and forth between them worriedly.

But Discord was past listening; the tips of his ears were smoking and his tail was whipping around him erratically as he stomped. His lip curled angrily, his protruding fang seemingly looked longer and sharper, his eyes glowing dangerously. He snorted. “Unbelievable. How dense can one pony possibly be?!”.

Discord folded his arms, stopping his pacing to tap his hoof impatiently, his ears folding downward in displeasure. He tutted, a nearby tree growing tentacles and scaring away the birds that were housed in its branches.

Spike moved to speak when he saw Fluttershy and her friend exit the cottage, launching himself at Discord and shoving them both out of sight, Big Mac following their lead. They watched as Fluttershy, now carrying a picnic basket instead of her saddle bags, lead her friend off towards the sanctuary. “Looks like they’re heading to Sweet Feather sanctuary”.

“Clearly an attempt on Fluttershys part to salvage the day and show how amazing and caring she is" Discord reasoned, hovering up and following after the two as Spike and Big Mac followed him, narrowly dodging the tree tentacles that swooped after them. “How sweet of her. To put herself out there like that...although after what I’ve seen, she’d be better off with a brick....perhaps Maud's friend Boulder could introduce her to some nice...rock".

“That’s kinda mean Discord, you don’t even know the guy!” Spike pointed out, Discord making a noise of contempt. “I’ve seen all I need to know enough!” he lauded, Spike and Big Mac rolling their eyes at each other.

The three followed the couple to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, hiding themselves nearby as Fluttershy introduced her companion to Dr Fauna before they headed to the lakeside nearest the waterfall, the stallion looking around him in complete awe. He grinned widely at Fluttershy who smiled back shyly, Discord grinding his teeth so hard, sparks flew from his mouth, sizzling the blades of grass beneath him. His claws dug into the ground as he watched the two set out the picnic together, Fluttershy serving tea as the stallion began to help himself to the food.

Spike and Big Mac took a nervous step away from Discord, heat radiating off him, his body beginning to give off steam. “Ah Discord?”.

Discord ignored them, the buzzing noise in his ears making it easier as he watched the two. Fluttershy pulled out the box of cookies from earlier from inside the basket, pushing them to the stallion, who took the box and stuffed it haphazardly into his own saddle bags, the action being the last straw for Discord. “THATS IT! IM PUTTING AN END TO THIS" he growled in fury, moving to march over to them when Spike and Big Mac tackled him to the ground, struggling to restrain him. “Let go!”

“Discord you can’t! This is Fluttershy’s date remember!?” Spike hissed, nervously trying to make sure they weren’t seen. “You said you wanted her to be happy!! If you go over there, you’ll ruin everything!!”.

“How in Equestria could this walking sponge ever make her happy!?” Discord cried out, flailing wildly in Fluttershy's direction.

“That’s not up to us Discord! If he makes Fluttershy happy, then we just gotta support her! Why can’t you just admit you’re jealous!?” Spike countered, gulping when Discord’s eyes turned to slits, flashing red with anger. Suddenly, he and Big Mac were encased in purple floating jelly bubbles, Big Mac struggling helplessly against it as Spike used his wings to hover in the centre of it, Discord looming over them as he bared his teeth.

“I am NOT jealous! I have NOTHING to BE jealous about! I am the LORD OF CHAOS! No creature can compare!”. He held out a paw, the bubbles around Big Mac and Spike growing slightly smaller.

Spike made a noise of discomfort as he pushed against the wall of the bubble. “Just admit it Discord! You’re jealous! Admit it!”.

“I am NOT JEALOUS! I’m not! I....I....” Discord trailed off as he glanced past Spike's bubble, his focus becoming fixed squarely on Fluttershy. She was talking to her companion, gesturing slightly with her hoof which she then used to cover her mouth when he began to laugh, muffling her own delight as she so often did with Discord when he was regaling her with stories.

His chest ached painfully and his magic melted away as the cloud of rage subsided, the bubbles disappearing and dropping Spike and Big Mac to the ground as he clutched at the spot, unable look away as his whole body seemed to droop slightly.

Oh.

OH.

The realization made his knees feel weak, and he staggered, remembering the only other time he had felt like this.

It had been when she had first become his friend, when he had frozen Sweet Apple Acres instead of purging the water after it had been flooded by angry chaos-influenced beavers. He had goaded Twilight and the others, laughing at how his friendship with Fluttershy had freed him from consequence. She in turn had renounced their friendship, throwing down his proffered ice skates and walking away, Discord realizing in that moment that he could lose the one thing he had never had.

Someone who not only understood him and enjoyed his company, but actually cared about him.

A friend.

And now he was losing her all-over again to something no amount of chaos magic could change and the thought was unbearable, the pain blossoming in his chest and making his eyes water.

Big Mac and Spike stared up at Discord, both unsure of what to do. “Ahh...Discord?”.

“I....I have to go" Discord said faintly, his ears laid flat against his head, his tail curling almost protectively around him. Even his horns seemed to deflate, flapping against his head as if they were soaking wet.

“Discord wait! Don’t go! Wait!” Spike yelped, jumping forward to grab him just as Discord poofed away, Spike landing face first into the dirt.

Spike scurried up, brushing off the dirt as he looked around, Big Mac looking at him worriedly. “This is a disaster Big Mac! We need to find Discord and talk to him about this!”.

“Yeup!” Big Mac agreed, the two hurrying off back towards town.

Neither of them noticed Fluttershy pause in her laughter to look around her surroundings longingly, as if searching for someone. Her face crumpled slightly as she sighed wistfully, quickly plastering a smile on her face when her companion turned his attention back to her, picking up a sandwich and chewing it thoughtfully. Her eyes slid to the single daffodil that lay beside her on the picnic blanket, her smile becoming happier, more genuine. Finishing her sandwich, she placed the flower back in her basket carefully then turned to continue her conversation with her companion.

* * *

Spike and Big Mac scoured the whole town looking for Discord but found absolutely no trace of the draconequus; even his incidents from earlier had disappeared and reverted back to normal, much to the relief of the towns ponies.

Big Mac and Spike however, were not so relieved.

After covering the whole town, they'd decided to grab a bite to eat at Sugarcube Corner to plan their next step. "Gah! This is hopeless Big Mac! Discord could be anywhere by now!” Spike whined, fluttering up to sit morosely on the counter as Big Mac got them both a drink, Spike tilting his cup from left to right, watching the juice inside swirl around. “Maybe we...we should wait, y'know? Let him come to us?”.

Big Mac shrugged, sipping at his own drink, the room becoming quiet as they thought about what to do. “Do you think he’d answer if we called out to him? Asked him to come play Ogres and Oubliettes?” Spike asked, Big Mac putting his hoof to his mouth in thought before shrugging again. “S’pose it’s worth a shot" he answered, setting aside their drinks as Spike hovered up, cupping his hands to his mouth as he called out. “Captain Wuzz! Are you ready and willing to step into the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?”.

For a moment, nothing happened, Spike and Big Mac looking around despondently before sighing. Then a pop! echoed in the kitchen and Discord appeared before them, dressed in his O and O costume and submerged in a bathtub full of brown liquid. He looked completely miserable. “Huzzah, fellow adventurers" he mumbled into his goatee, Spike and Big Mac jumping in surprise before hurrying to the side of the tub, leaning over and looking at Discord with relief.

“Discord! You came! We didn’t think you’d answer!” Spike looked into the tub, wrinkling his nose at the bubbling brown liquid. “What is this stuff?”.

“Chocolate. I thought a bath might make me feel better but so far...” Discord trailed off, sliding down a lil deeper into the liquid, only the top part of his snout and head visible, his tail hung out over the edge of the bathtub. Spike dipped a claw into the liquid and held it to his nose, making a face. “Eurgh! Smells more like gravy!”.

“Just my luck; it’s sour just like my mood” Discord replied morosely, lifting a hand out of the liquid, the gravy sliding off to reveal that he was holding a little yellow rubber duck that had a pink mane and butterflies by its tail feathers. He squeezed it, the little duck giving off a soft surprised squeak, Discord’s eyes widening and filling with tears as his bottom lip trembled. His arm flopped back into the liquid and he sunk further underneath, only his horns now visible above the surface. The little rubber duck bobbed to the surface, giving another soft surprised squeak as it floated around.

“C’mon Discord, this isn’t like you" Spike reasoned, wiping his claw on a nearby towel, Big Mac trying to visibly hold back his disgust at the bath tubs contents. “Weren’t you the one that said that Hearts and Hooves was ‘a ruse, pushed on us by the greeting card industry’? That ‘love, like all things warm and fuzzy, isn’t real'?.

A bubble grew on the surface of the liquid, detaching then floating into the air for a moment before it popped, Discord’s voice echoing from it. “Yes, thank you Spike for reminding me how ridiculous I sounded"

Spike and Big Mac looked at each other, Spike shrugging, at a loss. He looked back down at the bubbling liquid. “Hey! How about we all go out to that club you like? Get some shakes, meet a cute new mare maybe? Remember, plenty of ponies in the pasture, right?” Spike suggested, his voice low and cajoling.

A moment passed before Discord’s head reappeared above the surface, completely clean despite having been submerged a moment ago, his expression thoughtful. “That does sound intriguing...” he stroked his goatee with a claw then drooped, expression becoming morose. “Although I don’t know if this poor old broken heart will ever be whole again" he wailed, dramatically putting a hand to his forehead as a heart appeared in the air above him, shattering into a million pieces that fell into the bathtub, slowly sinking into the sludge, the little rubber duck squeaking sadly as they did so.

Spike groaned as Big Mac rolled his eyes, letting go of the side of the tub and taking a few steps back. “If I may?” he asked Spike, who shrugged and let go of the tub. “Can’t hurt to try “. Big Mac turned and with a mighty kick, bucked the side of the tub, sending Discord, the duck and the sludge hurtling all over the kitchen.

Spike quickly fluttered up out of the way with a cry of surprise as Discord hit the floor, yelping as he slid and skidded to a stop next to the cupboards, the little duck squeaking in alarm. “What in Equestria?!”

Big Mac stood over him, pointing a hoof at Discord, the tip of it almost poking Discord in the nose and making him go cross eyed. “Now you both know I ain’t much of a talker, so you better listen up good, cause am only gonna say this once!”.

Discord looked up at Big Mac in quiet surprise as Spike came down to rest on his head, holding onto his horns as they watched Big Mac pace back and forward in anger. “Now I’ve watched you run after that poor girl and make a fool outta yourself all day long, but it stops here! That poor filly don’t even know you got feelings for her! How can you break up!? You haven’t even started dating yet!!. You’ve been making her choices for her all day long, without even asking her what she thinks about it, and you’re doing it again now!”. He stomped his hoof, snorting in exasperation. “You haven’t even had the courage to tell her how you feel! If you cared about her happiness as much as you say you do, then you’d at least be honest with her, and let her make up her own mind about her feelings for you”. He flicked his mane out of his eyes and poked Discord in the chest. “After all you’ve been through together, she deserves that much".

Spike grimaced, looking down at Discord. “He’s got a point, she’s forgiven you for a lot of unforgivable stuff...and I mean A LOT" he emphasised, Discord glaring at him then pulling his horns back, using them to ping Spike off his head. Spike flailed in the air for a moment before he managed to use his wings to right himself, sticking his tongue out at Discord as he perched on the kitchen counter, careful to avoid sitting in the brown sludge.

Discord scoffed, holding his nose in the air. “You Apples and your honesty malarkey" he groused, shuffling until his was sat up against the cupboards. He pulled his wig off his head and fiddled with it, turning sheepish as his ears dropped down. “But....what if she says no?” he whimpered, closing his eyes in embarrassment. “I...I don’t want to...lose her".

Big Mac’s expression turned sympathetic and he moved to sit next to Discord in the sludge, putting a hoof on his shoulder reassuringly. “Then you’ll respect her wishes and accept her decision. Even if Fluttershy doesn’t have the same feelings, ah'm sure she’ll still want you in her life. Whatever happens, we’ll be right here for you, no matter what" he said with a warm smile, Spike coming to sit on the other side of Discord, patting his claw. “Yeah! We’re best friends, remember?”.

Discord’s eyes welled up and his bottom lip trembled. He pulled them both into a crushing hug, tears spouting from his eyes like fountains, washing away the brown sludge and soaking them all as he wailed, “YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST FRIENDS A DRACONEQUUS COULD ASK FOR!”.

Sugar Belle appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, Discord’s wailing startling her as she entered, leaning over the counter to see them all sat on the floor. “Um, is everything ok in here?”.

“Don’t worry everything is"- Spike was interrupted by the sound of Discord sniffle snorting loudly and screwed up in his nose in disgust. -"ugh, fine".

Sugar Belle rolled her eyes in amusement as she grabbed some nearby sprinkles. “I’ll grab the mop" she called out over her shoulder, disappearing from the kitchen as Discord let go of Spike and Big Mac, pulling one of his handkerchiefs out from his fur and dabbing at his eyes. He wetly blew his nose then wrung out the hankie before stuffing it back inside his fur. “Thanks fellas, I needed that".

“Don’t mention it" Spike said, hovering up and away from the puddles. “So...what’re you going to do now?”.

Discord sat up, stroking his goatee in thought. The little rubber duck hopped over to his hoof, holding the green cookie that Fluttershy had baked him in its beak, tilting its head as it looked up at him. He blinked down at it then smiled warmly, picking it up in his lions paw. He took the cookie from its beak and looked it over, his smile growing warmer. “Thanks little one".

The duck peeped happily, flapping its tiny wings. “Chu!~”.

* * *

Fluttershy smoothed out the picnic blanket, smiling as a few birds flew overhead, singing happily. After her meeting had ended and her companion had left, she’d gone back to her house and repacked her picnic basket, deciding that the day was too nice to spend inside and that nothing would be more perfect than to have tea outside with her best friend.

Her thoughts drifted to the draconequus in question and she looked around, searching for any sign of him. A delicate frown traced her features upon seeing nothing but trees and fields and she sighed heavily as she looked at the teapot, a small wisp of steam escaping its spout. Fluttershy vaguely wondered if he’d forgotten about their agreement but knew that couldn’t be true; he never missed their parties.

She looked over at the plate of cookies and smiled at the green ones mixed in with the regular. Some might think that they looked odd, out of place, but to Fluttershy they made the cookies more interesting, more eye-catching. She wondered if Discord had figured out their secret yet and giggled to herself.

“Y'know, ponies say that it’s a sign of madness when you laugh to yourself”.

Fluttershy blinked then smiled and looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. When no-one appeared, she looked down at the picnic instead, searching for something that shouldn’t have been there. Her eyes strayed to the small bowl of fruit she had prepared, her grin widening when she spotted a brown, furry banana nestled between two bright yellow ones. “Is that so?”.

The banana grew two small horns and a pair of red eyes before transforming fully into Discord, who laid nonchalantly against the other bananas. “Although I have to admit, sometimes the best conversations I have are with myself...I can be a bit stubborn at times, however.”

Fluttershy giggled, hiding her mouth with her hoof as Discord blinked to his normal self seated next to her, a small smile on his face. Fluttershy fluttered up and hugged him, excitement building inside her as she bit her lip and let go, Discord's smile faltering momentarily as she sat down, such a small slip that she thought she’d imagined it. The slip was soon forgotten though, as a cup filled with tea floated to her outstretched hoof, Fluttershy taking a small sip of the lukewarm tea, still full of flavour. “It’s peppermint tea, I hope that’s ok"

“Of course!” He answered, taking a sip from his own cup, eyeing the spread on the picnic blanket before them. “And I see you’ve prepared a feast as usual...I know I’m thrice the size of you ponies but that doesn’t mean I eat more than you". He paused then grinned sheepishly. “Most of the time anyway”.

Fluttershy chuckled, watching as Discord added another sugar cube to his drink. “Did you have a good time with Spike and Big Mac...I was worried when you weren’t on time, I thought your O and O game might have run over again....remember that time it went on for a whole week?” she chuckled again at the memory. “I thought you’d never get that wig off your head...you slept on my couch for two days straight!”.

Discord’s spoon clinked roughly against his cup as he stirred, his expression wavering, his smile becoming strained. “Yes it...we...had fun". He looked away, slurping his tea loudly. “But enough about me! What about your day? Did your....meeting, go as planned?”. Fluttershy smiled widely, setting down her cup as her wings fluttered open slightly in excitement. “Oh yes! It went wonderfully!”. She clapped her hooves together happily then put them on her cheeks. “I’m so happy, I’ve barely stopped smiling all day! My cheeks are hurting!”.

Discord’s grip on his cup tightened, the horrible sinking feeling in his stomach from before slowly beginning to return. His strained smile became more like a grimace, trying to disguise it by slurping more tea. “Is that so? You certainly seem to be ahh...a tad more wriggly than usual”.

Fluttershy flicked her tail around herself, taking a regular cookie from the plate and nibbling its edges. “Oh I’ve barely been able to stay still! I wonder if this is how Pinkie feels all the time" she giggled conspiratorially, putting the cookie on her saucer as she moved to pour herself more tea. “Everything’s just going to be so much better now! I’m so happy!”.

Discord gripped his cup tightly, shattering the thing into pieces, both him and Fluttershy looking at the broken porcelain in surprise. “Oh ahh sorry bout that dear! I just...wanted to make it easier to eat!” he lied, forcing a smile as he stuffed the pieces in his mouth, crunching then swallowing loudly. “See?”.

Fluttershy squinted at him, tilting her head as she set down her cup. “Discord are you feeling ok? You seem...off”. Her eyes widened in fright, sitting up straighter. “You’re not losing your powers again are you?! Quick! Do something chaotic!”.

“It’s nothing Fluttershy, please don’t worry" he put down his now bare saucer, holding out his claws reassuringly. “Besides, I just ate a full tea cup like a sandwich, I’m pretty sure that would be classified as chaotic don’t you?”.

Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth, biting her lower lip as she fretted. “I guess so but-".

“Besides! You were telling me all about your lovely day and how happy you are!” his eye twitched and the teapot grew wings, fluttering up and flying around his head twice before perching on his shoulder, ruffling its wings. Fluttershy smiled nervously at the sight of it, brows creasing in worry. “Discord-".

“Sandwich? Why yes I’d love one thank you!!”. Grabbing the plate of sandwiches, he tipped the entire contents into his mouth, his cheeks bulging, the teapot on his shoulder fluttering their wings madly, trying to stay upright. He grinned at her, his teeth covered in half-eaten bread and spread, Fluttershy covering the smile that crept onto her face, trying to stay serious. “Discord-".

Discord gulped loudly, swallowing his mouthful. “More tea? Excellent idea!”. He conjured up a new teacup, this one now a birds nest with a twig handle, the teapot making a bubbling noise before flying over, pouring the tea haphazardly into his cup. He slurped loudly, the teapot floating back to perch on the blanket, nestling into it.

Fluttershys nervous smile dropped into a frown, examining him for a moment before her expression cleared, becoming unimpressed and bored. She took hold of her own tea and sipped it quietly, Discord watching her over the rim of his own cup, trying to stop his claw from trembling. Panic was swirling through him and he flicked his tail nervously, a nearby tree uprooting itself from the ground, its apples turning into bowler hats. It gave a little bow then began to wander off.

Fluttershy watched it go then put a sugarcube in her cup, stirring slowly. “Discord, do you have something to tell me?” she asked calmly, still not looking at him.

“What? I’m not hiding anything from you, why would I?” he replied, putting his cup next to the teapot for a refill. The pot stood up on bird legs and leaned over, pouring more tea into his cup before ruffling its wings and sitting back down.

Fluttershys eyes slid up to meet his. “I didn’t ask if you were hiding anything" she said, Discord quickly looking away. He was immune to her Stare but he realised long ago that she’d managed to modify it in a way that affected him. His teacup began to rattle in its saucer.

Fluttershys ears went down, her blank look becoming worried. She set down her cup and moved closer to him, putting a hoof on his knee. “Discord, what’s going on? You promised you wouldn’t keep secrets from me anymore, remember? After what happened...” she trailed off, Discord wilting slightly at the sadness in her voice, setting down his cup as he remembered his past failures. It turned into a coconut that started whistling and he clenched his fist in agitation then closed his eyes.

“Discord?”. “I’m sorry" he murmured, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. He tried to blink them away, looking everywhere but Fluttershy. “I’m sorry I...”

“Discord!” Fluttershy flew up, cupping his head in her hooves, making him look after her.

His eyes widened and the words spilled out. “I love you".

Fluttershy blinked and let go, fluttering backwards, her cheeks darkening to match the same shade as her hair. She slowly floated to the ground, staring at him as Discord searched for a way to explain but no words would come. It was like he’d used up all the words in the world just by saying those three. The pair lapsed into silence before Discord coughed, moving to get up. “I...I should go".

“NO!” Fluttershy held out a hoof to stop him, Discord freezing on the spot. “Please...wait". She let out a small breath, the colour slowly fading from her cheeks as she turned, pulling her picnic basket next to her. “Today...you didn’t play Ogres and Oubliettes with Spike and Big Mac, did you? You followed me into town instead ” she said, a statement not a question. Discord nodded sadly then paused. “wait...how did you-?”.

Fluttershys mouth quirked slightly then she opened the basket and pulled out a daffodil, looking at it in wonder. “Because of this". Discord looked at the flower then at Fluttershy then back to the flower, blinking dumbly. “I don’t-".

“Did you know, that this particular flower isn’t in season yet?” she said, her voice conversational as she examined the flower, holding it up to the light. “So imagine my surprise, when my guest shows me not one, but a whole bunch of my favourite flowers". Her voice turned light and teasing as she looked up at him under lidded eyes. “There’s only one pony in all of Equestria that knows these are my favourite flowers...or rather, one draconequus".

Discord stared at her, his own cheeks starting to heat up as she looked at it. “As soon as I saw it, I knew you were in town...that and the bucket of carrots that turned into umbrellas” she quipped, giggling slightly, Discord’s own mouth twitching. “And then other things....” she drew little patterns into the blanket as she spoke, Discord watching, seeing them so vividly through his own Chaos eyes, knowing that with just a thought he could make them real. Make them swim like fish through the air.

Fluttershy looked up at him. “Talk to me...please?" she asked softly and how could Discord ever say no to her?

Discord sighed and laid down. “At first I just...wanted you to be happy. Spike and Big Mac told me you’d never had a special someone and it...it hurt to hear that. So I...I had every intention of doing whatever I could to help make this day go well for you. I wanted to give you a perfect first Hearts and Hooves day...but watching you with that fellow, I became so angry...he didn’t even seem to care you were on a date!”. He gripped the blanket, remembering the day then let go, smoothing it out again. “Then I realised that even though he was being completely oblivious to you, you were still happy, that HE was making you happy, in a way I could never...” he stopped, closing his eyes. “I realised...I WAS jealous...because he was in a place that I could never...never hope to...”. He paused once again and closed his eyes, laying his head on the blanket. “I just want you to know that, your happiness means the world to me. You were my first friend; the first pony in a millennia to open your heart and give me a second chance, time and time again. To accept me for who I was”. He covered his eyes with his claws. “I just want you to know...no matter who your special somepony is, if they make you happy, then that’s all that matters...even-if-I-do-very-much-want to-throw-them-into-a-void" he muttered under his breath, Fluttershy covering her mouth with a hoof to hide her amusement.

Scooting closer, Fluttershy gently took his head in her hooves and pulled him gently onto her lap, Discord stiffening and resisting slightly at first then relaxing into her touch, taking his hands from his eyes but keeping his eyes closed as he tilted his head into her body, Fluttershy stroking his mane softly. “The stallion I was with today...he wasn’t my special some-pony and we weren’t on a date” she said quietly, Discord's ears turning towards her, listening intently. “Remember I said I had a meeting? Well it was a meeting, as in...business meeting I suppose you could call it. He's interested in working at the sanctuary”.

“Wait what!?” Discord opened his eyes and tried to turn to look at her but turned the wrong way and poke her with his horns instead. “Ack! I’m sorry!! Wait wait!”. He shuffled, turning the other way instead so that his head was still on her lap but his horns faced outwards instead, looking up at her in surprise. Fluttershy rubbed her chin as Discord grinned sheepishly at her. “Pardon me" he said sincerely, Fluttershy smiling. “Its ok".

She went back to stroking his mane, Discord struggling to pay attention. By the moon, it felt nice. “As I was saying, he heard about the sanctuary and contacted me, asking if he could visit. He wants to learn more about animal injuries and how to treat them. He travels all over Equestria, looking for rare creatures and thought that by coming to help out at the sanctuary, he'd learn more about how to spot a sick or injured animal, and how to treat them correctly”. She smiled softly. “That’s why I was excited and wanted to surprise you...if he agreed to come and stay in Ponyville, it would mean more help at the sanctuary and that I would also have more free time to spend with you and Angel outside of teaching at the school". She paused the grinned sheepishly. “And our friends, of course". Her smile turned bashful, a pink spot appearing on each of her cheeks. “It...was going to be my Hearts and Hooves day gift to you".

Discord’s eyes widened. “For me?”.

Fluttershy bit her lip and nodded. “That and....one other thing”. The blush spread across her nose and both cheeks, her face radiating heat. She pushed a lock of her mane behind her ear then hurriedly pressed a kiss to his snout, moving away just as quick to hide her face. “ayiwufewsiscor" she mumbled, Discord still reeling from the feel of her lips against his snout.

“I...I’m sorry, come again?” he stammered, staring up at her.

There was a pause then Fluttershy looked at him, shyness radiating from her every pore. Her face was as pink as her mane, her eyes were lidded and slightly glassy with emotion. It was the same look he had seen when she had looked at the daffodils. “I love you Discord" she said, each word filled with such certainty and confidence that it made Discord's heart sing to hear them. “Would you be my special some-pony? Ahh...special...draconequus? Special some-creature?”. She frowned delicately with confusion but Discord barely noticed.

He sat up so quickly that it made Fluttershy jump, looking down at her wide eyed, a swirling mix of emotions inside him. “You mean it?! You do? Really?!”.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded and Discord couldn’t hold it in any longer. He jumped into the air, whooping with excitement, trumpets and party cannons going off all around, making Fluttershy yelp in shock, looking around as the sound of a large crowd cheering began to blare around them. He flipped and swooped and swirled in a circle, laughing with glee. “SHE LOVES ME!! DO YOU HEAR THAT EQUESTRIA!!? SHE LOVES ME!”.

Fluttershy chuckled shyly, watching him as he cartwheeled through the air, yelping when he disappeared and reappeared next to her, picking her up and swinging her around happily, laughing all the while. He set her down then pirouetted into the air, disappearing in a flash, plaid coloured confetti sprinkling down around her.

Fluttershy looked around in confusion, her ears pricking up when she heard a far off cry, laughing to herself when she heard the echo. “SHE LOVES ME!!”.

She sat back down on the blanket and waited patiently, finishing her tea and cookie. A moment later she heard a pop and looked above her, seeing Discord floating down like a leaf from a tree towards her. She giggled again as he landed with his head laid on her lap, looking up at her adoringly. “You love me" he murmured with a toothy grin, Fluttershy looking down at him with a sweet smile. “I do" she said, leaning down to nuzzle him affectionately, Discord closing his eyes, nuzzling back. She heard a deep rumble coming from him and realized he was purring, pressing her lips together to cover her amusement.

They stayed together like that for a moment before Fluttershy straightened, picking up the daffodil and bringing it to her nose, smelling it. “Smells like bubble-gum" she said with a smile, Discord smiling with her, closing his eyes when she playfully booped his nose with it. “Do you know why this is my favourite flower?”.

“Do tell" he said, cracking open one eye.

Fluttershy bit her lip. “It reminds me of you” she said quietly, Discord blinking up at her then back at the flower. His head switched places with the flower, a smaller version of it now on the end of the stem, a giant daffodil now laid on Fluttershys lap. “I’m not sure whether to take offense at that or not" he said, putting his leaves on his stem in an imitation of putting his hands on his hips, un-amused. Fluttershy smiled and booped his nose with her hoof softly, Discord using the action to transform himself back.

“Daffodils are bright and positive and bring joy. They’re also strong and resilient, if you plant them once, they’ll grow year after year. They’re a one of a kind plant, no other flower looks quite like them". Her voice went quiet as her eyes lidded. “They’re also a symbol of rebirth, of new beginnings. I can’t think of any other flower more fitting to describe you".

Discord looked away, his fur turning dark with embarrassment. “Sheesh, I didn’t realise you were such a charmer. You don’t need to sweet-talk me Shy-boots, am already in love with you".

Fluttershy blushed and set the flower down, Discord sighing happily, stretching his arms and coils out in the warm sun. “I suppose I should apologise to your friend, for making a mess of your day together". He grinned sheepishly up at her, poofing up a piece of paper and a quill, a pair of round rimmed glasses perched on the end of his snout. He licked the end of the quill. “An apology letter should do nicely...so, who should I make this out to?”.

“Oh! His name is Winds Whisper”. Her voice turned coy and teasing. “He’s Tree-Huggers older brother. He said he'd love to meet you”.

Discord stared at her incredulously, then flopped back, looking up at the sky. “That explains SO MUCH" he said in a deadpan voice, Fluttershy rolling her eyes before moving out from under him and letting his head drop onto the blanket, starting to clear away the picnic. While Discord and Tree-Hugger had mended fences, Fluttershy knew that Discord would never be completely comfortable around her. A creature of pure Chaos being friends with a pony of complete zen and peace? About as likely as AppleJack farming peaches for a living. Still, no reason they couldn’t be civil.

“That’s how Whispy knew about the sanctuary; I told Tree-Hugger about it and she told him. I made him a box of cookies to take home so he could give them to her”. She put away the food and covered the still whistling coconut so that it was muffled, coaxing the teapot to nestle in the basket and eyeing the plate of cookies as Discord mouthed ‘Whispy' in annoyance. “That reminds me; did you figure out what made your cookies so special?”.

Discord blinked and sat up, pulling out the green cookie he’d been holding onto all day out from under his horns as he poofed away the paper, quill and glasses. “Ah! I’d almost forgotten about this little puzzle you left me". Fluttershy turned to watch as he daintily took a bite, smiling as his expression turned questioning, chewing thoughtfully. “Well it...certainly tastes...like a cookie".

Fluttershy covered her mouth in amusement as he squinted, a familiar taste rolling over his snake tongue. “It tastes like...green?” His eyes widened and he smiled down at Fluttershy in delight. “You made green tea cookies!?”.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together in delight. “I did! Well, Pinkie helped, I couldn’t get the recipe right the first couple of times. But now I have it right, I can make more and with different flavoured teas too". She rubbed her shoulder bashful. “I just...wanted to try something different for you...is it any good?”.

Discord smiled warmly down at her. “Its perfect" he replied, lowering himself to her height. He pressed a kiss to her cheek lightly, his expression full of warmth and love. “I love you".

Fluttershy bit her lip, her cheeks tinged with pink as she raised a hoof to his cheek, moving it down under his chin. She paused then leaned in, closing her eyes as she pressed her lips against his, kissing him firmly.

Discord’s eyes widened then closed as he returned her kiss, the tip of his tail wagging erratically, his horns twisting and twirling around each other. Fluttershy leaned back, breaking their kiss. “I love you too" she murmured, looking up at him and then quickly pressing her hooves to her mouth, snorting into them. Discords eyes had turn to hearts, small heart shaped balloons bubbling out of his ears and floating off into the breeze as he looked at her adoringly. “What?” he asked, his voice low with amusement, Fluttershy shaking her head.

“Its nothing" she pressed another quick kiss to his cheek then moved away, putting the plate of cookies into the picnic basket. “Why don’t we finish these at my house hmm? I’m sure Angel bunny and the others are wondering where their dinner is by now".

“Yes, that bad tempered bunny does have a tendency to get grumpy when he’s not fed on time” Discord said, rolling his eyes as he tried to shoo away the errant love hearts still floating around, untwisting his horns. He turned into a little brown bunny and hopped over, wiggling his furry tail. “One could even say he gets...hopping mad?”.

Fluttershy chuckled, folding up the picnic blanket and putting it into the basket as Discord popped himself back to normal, carefully placing the daffodil on top.

Looping his tail around the basket handle, Discord scooped it up, swinging it gently back and forth as he bowed lightly to Fluttershy. “May I escort you home my dear?” he asked, Fluttershy smiling widely as she fluttered up next to him, laying her hoof in his outstretched claw, which curled gently around her hoof. “You may...Happy Hearts and Hooves day Discord!" she said sweetly, Discord smiling happily as he floated next to her, claw and hoof entwined as they flew happily beside each other in the direction of her cottage.

“Happy Hearts and Hooves day, Fluttershy".

Big Mac and Spike watched from their hiding place nearby as the pair floated out of sight, Spike sighing happily as they moved away from the bushes. “Aaahh I love a happy ending...that definitely went better than we expected huh?” he said, heading back in the direction of town with Big Mac, who nodded in agreement, smiling.

“Yeup!”

“You know, he might be the Lord of Chaos, but I always knew deep down that he was a big softie” Spike said, Big Mac rolling his eyes at the tiny smug dragon.

Out of nowhere, a bowl of cake batter appeared above Spike and promptly fell on his head, making him yelp as he was covered from spike to tail, a cherry on the tip of his nose. He sighed heavily, grumbling in annoyance.

“Spoke too soon".


End file.
